March Wrap-up and April Plans

This month I sewed 11 items and a total of 17.5 yards.

• Burda 7/2019 dress - 2 yards (WADDER)
• black textured cotton sateen from stash
• zipper

• Simplicity 8694 top - 2 yards (for my daughter)
• pink ponte
• trim and cording

• Burda 11/2019 baby sweater - .25 yards (gift)
• pink ponte
• zipper

• McCall's 7975 top - 1.25 yards
• blue rayon jersey from stash

• Burda 12/2016 pants - 2 yards
• navy ponte
• zipper

• McCall's 7476 cardigan - 2 yards
• cream and grey ribbed sweater knit
• button

• Simplicity 2245 top - 1.25 yards
• yellow swiss dot cotton
• buttons

• Burda 2/2020 dress - 2 yards
• black/grey suiting from stash
• buttons

• McCall's 7976 top - 1.25 yards
• poly crepe
• buttons

• McCall's 7547 pants - 1.5 yards
• yellow cotton twill
• zipper, button

• Burda 12/2016 pants - 2 yards (WIP)
• camel wool blend suiting
• zipper

• Simplicity 8228 - negligible
• stretch mesh

Favorite: The Burda pinafore style dress from the 2/2020 issue. I LOVE IT! It turned out so nicely and I cannot wait to wear it!

FAILS: My attempts to fit the Burda 7/2019 raglan dress were for naught. I think fabric was definitely an exacerbating issue but it just didn't work. I have some crepe that I plan to use for another go because I really like the shape of this dress on me!  That Simplicity bra pattern. Meh.

Accomplishments: Perseverance. I tried and tried to make the Burda dress work. That top for my daughter was a NIGHTMARE to make in ponte (intended for lt wt. wovens) but I kept going. I absolutely did not have enough fabric for M7976 AND that fabric was a hot mess to work with and yet...I love the top from it! I had to 'make it work' with the yellow jeans but again - I made it!

AND...I FINALLY FIXED MY BLAZER VENT! I am working through the hand sewing. My hand has been bothering me a lot lately. Likely because I've been sewing so much (e.g., cutting out patterns is a strain)

I didn't make it to starting my husband's blazer so I will push that to fall now. By the time life returns to normal, he won't really need a corduroy blazer.  :(

I will also push the black jacket/cardigan that I planned. It's a wool double knit and will be too warm once we're back to normal activities.

I did not have high expectations of this pattern. I remember when Madalynne first started selling patterns and such and people raved. I often saw 1) bras that did not fit HER well and 2) poorly fit bras on her workshop participants. 

I was willing to take the risk with a $2 pattern. I had some stretch laces in the stash but decided to muslin (of course). I made sure the stretch of my mesh was appropriate. Before cutting the pattern out, I noticed the fit of this version on her on the envelope and again, IT DOESN'T FIT HER!

There was mixed info about the sizing in reviews so I went ahead and followed the pattern instructions for measuring and choosing a size.  Well...I can't show a pic of the bra on me and I had to cut myself out of it once I did manage to wrangle it on. Meh. Moving on!

the upper left was sewn in February...but the rest were garments I sewed in March.

I did some gift sewing:

For this baby sweater, I cut out the letter M on my Cricut and used the tiniest zig-zag to attach it. 

I did a crappy job attaching the lower band but I tried not to let it bother me because I know only a sewer would even begin to notice that it wasn't sewn evenly :)

This month, I bought some fabric from Mood. I've blown through my fabric budget I set for 2020. But since 2020 is just determined to be difficult, I have to be over that "fail". 

I bought the wool suiting that I neeeeeded to copy that LOFT jacket using the blazer from Burda 2/2020 and there was a Rag & Bone sale (and I had a coupon code!) so I got an excellent deal on everything; the wool fabric, and some serious yardage of black crepe. I have had a time trying to find a nice weighty crepe for pants and jumpsuits so I bought 5 yards of it! And 3 yards of the same fabric in an inky blue color. NO REGERTS! :-p

I bought 8 patterns this month. A few of the new McCall's, a few of the new Vogues, a couple older patterns that were on my wishlist, and I bought the Style Arc Clare pattern below. I was on the fence because I felt certain I could find something similar in Burda mag, but I also really like Style Arc's drafting, there was a sale, and with that and the free pattern that's offered monthly, I scored the pants and a skirt for under $6. 

For April, looks like we'll still be indoors. I pulled out my spring clothes and mayyyyy not need more pants. LOL! At least not for spring. I forgot about the awesome deals I scored at Ann Taylor and LOFT last year. I will, however, need some for summer and have a couple pair of breezy pants on the list - the Clare and Simplicity 8389. Those will be pushed a bit (to May perhaps?).

This month, I want to sew:

M7925 dress in a cotton/rayon voile
M6754 dress in a floral knit
S2246 dress (maybe) in a striped knit
Burda 10/2017 or S8843 (I need to look at the shape of the pattern pieces of both) in a black cotton twill as my Q1 outerwear project (slightly behind!)
M8028 jumpsuit in a distressed knit
B5526 shirt in white cotton shirting w/silk organza accents

But I am still in a 'whichever way the wind blows' place. I am working on the camel Burda pants but after 4 in-depth projects I think it's time for something easy!! So I think the knit dresses may jump the line. I will probably sew them back-to-back since my serger and coverstitch thread choices will be the same for both (the background is navy on both).

As always, hope you're staying safe, sane and healthy <3